Large Families that do not combine many subjects

[krisperry]

Ok, I've tried for years to combine subjects. But.... my kids are just way different and work much, much better (and overall more efficiently) if I split most of the subjects up. I do still have 2 of the 5 I'm teaching together for history and science. But that is it.

 

So, of course, I have very long days. I want to do what I'm doing :P but I am looking at trying to figure out how to make my days slightly more efficient. Any tips or tricks that moms of many can give me would be appreciated.

 

I am considering a few options:

 

1. Make the olders teach the youngers more. How much is appropriate though? I don't want to "burden" them.

 

2. Teaching 7 days a week and spreading some of the work out.

 

3. Most radical: Teaching year-round and putting different kids on different tracks. So I wouldn't have all the kids every day. Though honestly this sounds like a bit of a tracking nightmare. I'm prone to overthinking things for sure and I feel like I might be doing that here :chillpill:

 

We employ various methods of workboxing and individual accountability already. I feel pretty good about that.

 

Mostly, I'd like to be done by 3 pm. I'm starting around 7 am. Right now, I'm pulling hours more like 7 am - 5/6 pm. Of course, no one child is in school that long... just me ;)

 

I could totally just be not "getting" that this is how large families that don't want to combine subjects take. If so, then I'll deal. It isn't impossible by any means. I'm a chronic organizer though and I keep wondering if there was something that might help tailor my day that I'm missing....

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Sorry, but if you're getting it done in 11 hours (your hours, not theirs) I think you're probably doing the best you can.

 

I have four children and my day is 9 hours.

 

Our middle children have ADHD and learning challenges, and the oldest and youngest children are both extremely accelerated. There is no way I could combine this crew, though heaven knows I've tried.

 

I feel your pain.

[krisperry]

Hearing you say that is comforting. I have the same kind of deal. Those who are close enough in age to combine don't combine well b/c of issues.

 

ie. 8 year old who is very bright, parts to whole, calm/quiet type of learner and a 10 year old discovery based, whole to parts, hyperactive and average.

 

Thanks for telling me that you pull long hours as well. Sometimes when I hear friends tell me that they are always done by morning/early afternoon, I just itch with jealousy. :blush5:

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I'm struggling with jealousy a little, too. This year is hardest because we're in our first year homeschooling high school. TBH, I don't like it!

 

On one hand, I love that my son gets to study awesome materials that he loves without the distractions and problems of ps. He has certainly earned this opportunity by being such a great homeschool student and a great kid.

 

On the other hand, helping him adjust to high school coursework is taking more of my time than I ever dreamed it would. He's needing more one-on-one time than my first grader right now!

[AngelBee]

I combine but use different resources and such for each. We are at it hours a day and go year round.

 

:grouphug:

[krisperry]

What a lot of similarities. I have an 8th grader who would like to apply to the boarding school that her dad went to (*sigh*). So, I'm working with her a lot this year one on one. Last year she was more independent of me and that made a huge difference in my day.

 

This year I'm working with her in nearly every subject. She is sitting for the SSAT in Jan and she wants to do really well. So that is me working with her on vocabulary every day, discussing essays, and delving deeper into higher level maths than usual. We are also working through actual test prep. *exhausting*

 

Pile on a hyper 10 year old, a very accelerated 8 year old, a wannabe drop out 6 year old, an extremely motivated 4 year old and a 17 month old tear-the-house apart toddler and I'm just fried. :lol:

[tricia]

I am schooling 7 of my 12 this year. I usually like to teach together and do most of the time but I've heard of doing schooling on different tracks throughout the year. Just thinking about but I like the idea.

[delaney]

only doing 3.....but really thinking about pulling year round tracks as well as getting the 5 yr old into the habit of doing Saturdays before he knows any better:D

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I'd like to hear more about different tracks since you've all mentioned the concept. What does that mean? :lurk5:

[Oakblossoms]

I was coming to post something similar. We started back on the 29th. i went back to a posted MOTH schedule. we don't really stick to the times, just the rythmn.

 

Mine are all learning about Ancients, but different curriculum. So, HOAW for High School, Oak Meadow for 6th, and SOTW for youngest. I think it helps.

 

But, I am having a hard time. My anxiety level is through the rough. Today I was literally shaking by 3. I layed down for a bit.

 

my youngest two are really close together for me. My toddler is into everything. She decorates all the time. Yesterday she decorated with diaper cream. The good smelling cod liver kind.

 

I have very realistic expectations of everyone. I think I need to do Saturday school. I have been pondering it. I chose the least teacher intensive stuff I could this year that fell with our parimeters of using a VA and my. Children's desires. If we had regular income I would have gotten everyone online school and their own laptop.

 

I think juggling everyone is a lot. Crying babies, messes underfoot, special needs. I wish there was a trick right now. I need one.

[Tenaj]

I'm in the same place this year as we've decided that uncombining is the best option. For my younger three students I'm doing three different HOD guides, my freshman is doing Illuminations and my older 2 are doing a hodge-podge of different courses.

 

Some days we seem to fall into a pretty good routine and then there are days like today!

 

I've considered having the olders teach the youngers, but they are honestly so busy with their own course load and activities that I don't feel that they can regularly take the extra time. They do help the youngers with short periods of guidance if I'm busy, but for regular teaching I don't think it would work.

 

What I've decided is that I'm just done between 2 and 3 everyday. What doesn't get done will roll over to the next day. I've decided that math and spelling are my priorities for this year so those get done no matter what. The other subjects I rotate through with each kid as I can and if it doesn't get done we do that first the next day. Each kidlet has a "loop" on their clipboard that I mark off as we go through their assignment sheet. The next day we do the subjects first (after math and spelling) that didn't get done the previous day.

 

I've had a couple of days where I noticed that one kid got bogged down and didn't get through anything of substance so the next day I just try to concentrate my efforts more on that one.

 

I'm not sure exactly how this is going to play out when we get to the end of the year. We usually take about six weeks off in the summer. I'm guessing that my 6yo and 7yo may still have their HOD guide to complete at the beginning of next year. My 10 yo is doing Preparing which is only a four-day program so he may be able to finish it up even with the loop.

 

What I'm finding is that we're able to some subjects that I know I would have dropped by this time without this system: namely French, Latin, extra writing, hands-on projects.

 

I try to focus on what we ARE getting done each day rather than what we AREN'T getting done each day.

 

HTH,

[Oakblossoms]

Janet...can you scan some samples of the sheets?

[Murphy101]

Very few of my children share subjects.

I refuse to do much Sunday and Saturday is more of correcting or getting caught up day.

We school year around, but that is not spreading 36 weeks out. It is just moving on when done in each subject and taking shorter breaks throughout the year.

I'd be taking a very harsh look at what materials I'm using if we could never get a weeks worth of lessons done in a week.

 

ETA: I don't know why there is a thumbs down in the subject line on my post. It should be a smiley. I'm a very smiley person. :)

Edited September 15, 2011 by Martha

[Mynyel]

I am not large (OK well I am but my family isn't :P) but I thought I might suggest doing block scheduling? We have tried it this year and so far we like it a lot. Saves a ton of time.

 

We also school year round and take off when we need to. When I schedule I never use dates. I use Week 1 Day 1 and go from there. I stretch my years out to 42 weeks as opposed to 36. We take off for Holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas) and birthdays. We take 3-4 weeks off in summer. It breaks it up so that is isn't so much.

 

I don't know if this would work for you with having more than 3, but maybe it will give you an idea!

[Mommyfaithe]

Hearing you say that is comforting. I have the same kind of deal. Those who are close enough in age to combine don't combine well b/c of issues.

 

ie. 8 year old who is very bright, parts to whole, calm/quiet type of learner and a 10 year old discovery based, whole to parts, hyperactive and average.

 

Thanks for telling me that you pull long hours as well. Sometimes when I hear friends tell me that they are always done by morning/early afternoon, I just itch with jealousy. :blush5:

 

When I had all of mine home and homeschooling, I did have my olders do a lot with my youngers...which helped both of them and formed very strong bonds amongst the siblings.

 

I had my olders teach art, read read-alouds, drill math facts, do science experiments, teach music lessons, bake brownies, take the youngers for nature walks or runs, do those projects I dreaded, drill spelling words etc.

 

Some years we did a buddy system where I paired an older with a younger, some years we mixed it up.

 

I always kept a close eye bon the progress and made sure both kids were benefitting from their interaction.

 

I am now down to just 3 at home, but I still have my oldest home...dd 13, work with the younger boys. Right now she is teaching them Latina Christiana 1 because I want them to learn it and her to review it in depth so we can move her onto a high school level. Works for her...and me. She is also in charge of one art lesson ala HOD and God & The History of Art weekly.

 

We usually school here from 9-3. I do math with my teens at night after then young kids go to bed. It is a juggle, but also makes for some lovely family memories.

 

Faithe

[Cindy in C-ville]

I am not large (OK well I am but my family isn't :P) but I thought I might suggest doing block scheduling? We have tried it this year and so far we like it a lot. Saves a ton of time.

 

We also school year round and take off when we need to. When I schedule I never use dates. I use Week 1 Day 1 and go from there. I stretch my years out to 42 weeks as opposed to 36. We take off for Holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas) and birthdays. We take 3-4 weeks off in summer. It breaks it up so that is isn't so much.

 

I don't know if this would work for you with having more than 3, but maybe it will give you an idea!

 

Talk to me about block scheduling. What does that look like for you?

 

I will say that we are homeschooling from 9:00 ~ 5:00, with some work happening after that just about every day. It's not solid work, as they take breaks, walk the dogs, have some read in the hammock time. But, it's a lot of work. I *try* to tell them that I am done teaching by 3:00, but I'm usually not. Usually by 4:00, I'm done.

 

Oh, we're in a Classical Conversations group this year. So, Piper and Katya do some stuff together, but not much. And the olders are so busy that there's no way I could ask them to help the youngers.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

I am also hesitant to ask the olders to help the youngers. I find that upper grammar students have the time and interest to drill flashcards, help with projects, read a story, etc. but the dialectic and rhetoric kids are way too busy. When they take a break, their minds need rest and their bodies need food. LOL

 

My oldest boys will sit down and help with art or music lessons when they get a minute, but I'd never put them in the position of being counted upon to do it.

[Tenaj]

Janet...can you scan some samples of the sheets?

I cannot figure out how to attach a copy of the file :confused: I'll do my best to describe - they are not very fancy at all:

 

It is a grid with five blank boxes across (one for each day of the week)and each subject listed down the left side. As my kids complete a subject, they either put an "OK" in the box or mark it in some way. At the end of the day, I can see at a glance what has been completed. I then put a "1" or a star in the boxes that did not get done in the column for the next day. Then, they know that those boxes must get done first when we start school the next day. After they do the priority boxes, then they start on the other boxes until the end of the day. It's not a true loop schedule because we don't do things in the same order every day. They do math and spelling every day - not necessarily first every day but we know they aren't done with school until those boxes are checked off.

 

I use HSTracker for their assignments so each night I've been marking what was finished and then rescheduling for the next day the leftover subjects and adding in another assignment for each box that is checked off so that they have a specific list of their assignments for each day.

[Lang Syne Boardie]

We do a kind of loop method if we don't finish a day. I have a planner but I wasn't able to upload a copy of the sheet into google docs. (Still learning how to use google docs)

 

I did make an approximation of it that anyone may see. The way I use these:

 

Each child gets his own weekly assignment sheet on a clipboard. I have an identical copy of each, all on one clipboard.

 

As the child completes each assignment, he checks the box. Throughout the day I check off the corresponding box on my copy of his sheet, too, so I always know how everyone is doing.

 

We work left to right, top to bottom, trying to finish Days 1-5 in one week. If a day is not completed, the next unfinished box is where tomorrow's work starts. It builds in some flexibility while making sure we do get to all subjects.

 

Now, if one of the kids is consistently failing to complete a day in a day's time, something needs adjusted.

 

Here's the link to the sample I made.

[krisperry]

I'd like to hear more about different tracks since you've all mentioned the concept. What does that mean? :lurk5:

 

I'll post a link after this reply.

 

 

 

I was coming to post something similar. We started back on the 29th. i went back to a posted MOTH schedule. we don't really stick to the times, just the rythmn.

 

Mine are all learning about Ancients, but different curriculum. So, HOAW for High School, Oak Meadow for 6th, and SOTW for youngest. I think it helps.

 

But, I am having a hard time. My anxiety level is through the rough. Today I was literally shaking by 3. I layed down for a bit.

 

my youngest two are really close together for me. My toddler is into everything. She decorates all the time. Yesterday she decorated with diaper cream. The good smelling cod liver kind.

 

I have very realistic expectations of everyone. I think I need to do Saturday school. I have been pondering it. I chose the least teacher intensive stuff I could this year that fell with our parimeters of using a VA and my. Children's desires. If we had regular income I would have gotten everyone online school and their own laptop.

 

I think juggling everyone is a lot. Crying babies, messes underfoot, special needs. I wish there was a trick right now. I need one.

 

These lines resonated with me. I wish there was a trick too. I get foggy-brained and dim-witted about 3 pm :tongue_smilie: Those last few hours are rough

 

 

 

 

I've considered having the olders teach the youngers, but they are honestly so busy with their own course load and activities that I don't feel that they can regularly take the extra time. They do help the youngers with short periods of guidance if I'm busy, but for regular teaching I don't think it would work.

 

What I've decided is that I'm just done between 2 and 3 everyday. What doesn't get done will roll over to the next day. I've decided that math and spelling are my priorities for this year so those get done no matter what. The other subjects I rotate through with each kid as I can and if it doesn't get done we do that first the next day. Each kidlet has a "loop" on their clipboard that I mark off as we go through their assignment sheet. The next day we do the subjects first (after math and spelling) that didn't get done the previous day.

 

I've had a couple of days where I noticed that one kid got bogged down and didn't get through anything of substance so the next day I just try to concentrate my efforts more on that one.

 

I'm not sure exactly how this is going to play out when we get to the end of the year. We usually take about six weeks off in the summer. I'm guessing that my 6yo and 7yo may still have their HOD guide to complete at the beginning of next year. My 10 yo is doing Preparing which is only a four-day program so he may be able to finish it up even with the loop.

 

What I'm finding is that we're able to some subjects that I know I would have dropped by this time without this system: namely French, Latin, extra writing, hands-on projects.

 

I try to focus on what we ARE getting done each day rather than what we AREN'T getting done each day.

 

HTH,

 

I've felt very similarly about my olders teaching the youngers. I find it very difficult to let go if I don't fee like enough is being done. I do admire your ability to do that.

 

 

 

 

We do a kind of loop method if we don't finish a day. I have a planner but I wasn't able to upload a copy of the sheet into google docs. (Still learning how to use google docs)

 

 

 

I've tried the loop method. Man, it was an epic fail for me. Maybe I should try again. I like your schedule.

[krisperry]

Here is a school calendar that I pulled from Google. You can see 4 tracks. They are labeled A-D. The general idea is to split your children between the tracks. There are only 3 tracks going at any given time during the year, so you would never have all your children to school in a single day.

 

http://www.graniteschools.org/departments/schoolaccountability/Calendars%20and%20Schedules/2012-2013%20Year%20Round%20Elementary%20Calendar.pdf

[Lang Syne Boardie]

Here is a school calendar that I pulled from Google. You can see 4 tracks. They are labeled A-D. The general idea is to split your children between the tracks. There are only 3 tracks going at any given time during the year, so you would never have all your children to school in a single day.

 

http://www.graniteschools.org/departments/schoolaccountability/Calendars%20and%20Schedules/2012-2013%20Year%20Round%20Elementary%20Calendar.pdf

 

Thank you!!! Oh, this is very, very interesting. I'm going to take a really long hard look at this option.